Phil Bredesen | nashvillepost.com

Free Tool

From the NewsChannel5:

Gov. Phil Bredesen and first lady Andrea Conte kicked off a March to the Moon fitness challenge to state workers in Nashville. Participating state employees will be outfitted with a free tool that monitors fitness activity, and department teams will compete for the highest level of per capita activity. At the end of the month, the winners will be awarded the Health Commissioner's Challenge Trophy Cup.

SEE ALSO: Jeff Woods

Mar 2, 2009 1:34 PM

The Subtext

Tom Humphrey reads between the lines of Gov. Phil Bredesen's statement congratulating Gov. Kathleen Sebelius on being tapped as the new Secretary of Health and Human Services:

"And, if President Obama decides to create a separate White House position to serve as chief promoter of a national health care system - Health Care Czar, if you will - I, certainly, still might be available."

Mar 1, 2009 5:58 PM

Sebelius, Not Bredesen, Obama's Choice For HHS

The Associated Press reports:

A White House source says Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is President Barack Obama's choice for secretary of health and human services. There had previously been speculation he might choose Gov. Phil Bredesen to fill the post.

Governor Bredesen has issued this statement in response to reports:

"Kathleen Sebelius would be an absolutely first-rate choice for Secretary of Health and Human Services and would be in sync with President Obama's goals for health care reform. "We've been friends and worked together on various issues for several years now and I think very highly of her. She has an excellent mind, she makes decisions carefully and well, and her obvious empathy for the plight in which so many Americans find themselves will serve them and our country well. She has been a great governor, is well respected by her colleagues, and for my part, I stand ready to help her in any way."

SEE ALSO: Ken Whitehouse R. Neal Ilissa Gold Southern Beale Guerilla Women

Feb 28, 2009 6:19 PM

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What Kind Of Democrat Is This?

David Lyons is not pleased with Governor Bredesen statements that he may end up refusing some federal stimulus money:

Gov. Bredesen is considering turning down $143 million from the federal stimulus package because, in giving another $25 per week to unemployed Tennesseans, he is afraid it might raise taxes on businesses later. Odd. I thought I voted for a Democrat. I thought government was supposed to help families in need.

Feb 25, 2009 10:34 AM

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Bredesen Tells Politico He Doesn't Think He's Out Of The Hunt For HHS

Says he is/was on a very short list:

Q: Are you out of the mix for HHS secretary? A: I don’t think so…but I don’t know…They certainly told me I was on a fairly short list of people being considered. I refer all further questions to them. I’m just really not sure where the process is. I think [Kansas Gov.] Kathleen [Sebelius] is a good choice and if that’s the direction they decide to go I’d certainly be very, very supportive and try to help her in any way I can.

(HT: RU)

Feb 24, 2009 12:03 PM

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Bredesen May Just Turn Down Stimulus

Via the Wangmeister:

“We are evaluating this piece of money, whether it makes sense for us to take it,” Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen said. “We may well be one of the states that say we can’t take on that portion of it.” The money in question — millions of dollars to each state — would require an expansion of unemployment insurance, a continuing obligation that some governors have criticized as an unfunded mandate.

SEE ALSO: The Wall Street Journal (TFJ: Underwood)

Feb 23, 2009 5:10 PM

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Bredesen The Wall Street Journal Pick For HHS

From the Journal:

For MoveOn and the single-payer lobby, Mr. Bredesen's approach is unacceptable because government doesn't run everything. In a petition it has been circulating, MoveOn says that Mr. Bredesen would be a "bad choice" to run HHS because he "gutted" TennCare and made a "fortune acquiring and running HMOs." Never mind that TennCare was breaking the state before Mr. Bredesen arrived. Mr. Bredesen has been pushing back against what he calls "advocacy groups that fill up the garbage can and start dumping it all over you." The criticism against him, he says, is that he "used a meat ax and not a scalpel" to reform TennCare. "If anything I went far, far too long trying to use a scalpel." News leaks say Mr. Obama's next HHS choice may be Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, whose health-care views aren't widely known. Perhaps she'll turn out to be sensible. But it's a shame Mr. Obama will miss an opportunity to show the left of his party that it doesn't have a veto over reform-minded Democrats like Phil Bredesen.

(TFJ: Woods)

Feb 23, 2009 8:27 AM

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So Does Sebelius Have This HHS Thing Wrapped Up?

A good bunch of folks seem to think so. I wouldn't be so sure. The fact remains that the 2010 Senate race in Kansas is one the Democratic Party and Barack Obama would really like to win. And while Obama may have had some trouble with the ethical failings of some of his appointments, Phil Bredesen is not likely to come up dirty in the vetting process. Yes, Bredesen has a controversial profile in the health care community but that is a policy issue. If Bredesen is clean, the Republicans will throw up just as little resistance as they would for Sebelius. The progressives can whine all they want about TennCare, Obama is gonna pick the person he wants for the job, and the fact is Bredesen has been on both sides of this issue, the public side and the private. Phil Bredesen has no definable future in electoral politics. Eventually he may want a Senate seat but Alexander isn't up for six years and Corker (and his money) doesn't look to be wanting to go anywhere anytime soon. The appeal of Bredesen to Obama over Sebelius is that Bredesen can be focused on the actual job of HHS secretary and not the politics. Because, while the thrill of getting picked and the chance to tackle an issue can be invigorating, in many cases cabinet positions tend to be less than glamorous. Cabinet secretaries are more often on the downslope of their careers that in there prime. It is an easy place to disappear. Quite simply Sebelius should want to pass on this and Obama should let her. Getting picked for a cabinet position is a deft thing to maneuver. Just because you haven't heard much from or about Bredesen in the past few weeks in regards to HHS doesn't mean he's not in the mix or lobbying hard for it. A cabinet position is not something you openly campaign for. You want to be seen, as much as possible, as not campaigning for it while leaving yourself open to the possibility of getting picked. When the progressives attacked him on TennCare he had to make sure his name was clear and that his message was out there. But just because he has receded into the background does not mean that the jig is up. It may just mean that the real vetting and negotiations are quietly taking place.

Feb 19, 2009 9:52 PM

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Ward Ain't Playin'

Ken Whitehouse reports on what one of the lesser known candidates for governor is bringing to the table:

Not very well known, if it all, in most Democratic circles, Cammack's announcement didn't seem to ruffle the feathers of any other potential candidates. That should change with this bit of inside baseball news. The powerhouse political firm of Murphy Putnam Media has joined up with Cammack's campaign, according to the Cammack team. Haven't heard of them? They did a few other political campaigns you may remember like Gov. Phil Bredesen, Mayor Karl Dean, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and a fellow named Barack Obama media. In other words, this news shouldn't be taken lightly by any Democratic gubernatorial aspirants.

Feb 19, 2009 2:39 PM

Bredesen Goes To Washington And Your World And Mine Ain't Gonna Be The Same

While Phil Bredesen may have succeeded in deflecting the spotlight that shown on him so brightly in the days after Tom Daschle removed himself from consideration for the position of Health and Human Services Secretary, the truth of the matter is that Tennessee still stands the very real possibility of losing its governor before his term ends. Bredesen has been somewhat subtle about it but for those who can read between the lines it is quite clear Phil Bredesen would jump at the chance to serve the Obama Administration in Washington as either Secretary of Commerce or Health and Human Services. Bredesen, as he has proved time and time again, is not a party loyalist. He routinely criticized Barack Obama during the Presidential campaign and, by praising a man who decided to eschew a Senate race against Lamar Alexander, he essentially endorsed the Republican in that race. Despite running two victorious statewide campaigns, the second time carrying all 95 counties, Phil Bredesen has not succeeded in building a strong Democratic Party in Tennessee. His political success story is a personal one. His success and his defeats are largely apart from the party. So, Phil Bredesen's party, to the extent you can even call it "his", is in shambles. Democrats have lost the state Senate. They are hanging on to limited power in the House by the thread of a moderate Republican betrayer. And, just recently, have turned over their actual party apparatus to a man who seems to lack establishment support and largely relies on volunteers to run the day to day operations of the party (to the extent that there are any). Turning over the executive residence to the Republican in this economy may end up giving the Party some increased advantage in 2010 but largely, whether Bredesen stays or goes, the Democratic Party will remain in essentially the same predicament it finds itself now. What a Bredesen departure would affect is not the Democratic Party but the Republican Party. Point of fact, an early Bredesen departure would throw a big bad grenade into a smoldering intraparty civil war. Wamp partisans (as well as Gibbons) can say what they like but, right now, the Republican nomination for governor is Haslam's to lose. Yes, some movement conservatives and evangelicals don't like him and his past positions on guns may be a bit scary to the Second Amendment crowd. But Haslam has two very powerful things: money and a well-oiled political machine. Zach Wamp may be a Congressman but he has little money and no power base from which to mount a campaign. He will run a credible race, just like Ed Bryant did in 2002 against Lamar but ultimately he will lose. The only candidate who would even have half a shot at taking down Haslam is Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey. Now, he doesn't have the kind of personal wealth that Haslam does but he knows the state in way that Wamp doesn't and most importantly, he knows the legislature -- and the lobbyists who frequent it. True, Ramsey can't raise funds while the legislature is in session, but, just as soon as it's out, he's got a lot of people who are gonna want to give. After all, the man is the Lieutenant Governor. He's gonna have people who want to be on his good side, no matter what he decides to do. Of course, it would be difficult for Ramsey to defeat Haslam under present conditions -- especially with Wamp in the race. Not impossible, but difficult. After all, Halam is backed with his big money and what is essentially Lamar Alexander's political machine. That combination hasn't lost many elections in Tennessee (see Bob Corker). However, if Phil Bredesen were to leave for Washington. Lt. Gov. Ramsey would ascend to the governorship. Now, many folks talk about this as though its an unparalleled good for Republicans, and it is in many respects. However, Ron Ramsey as the incumbent governor running in 2010 could also very well ignite a serious intramural battle within the GOP. If Bredesen does leave, Haslam will be faced with a choice: withdraw, pack up the machine he has put in motion to capture the executive residence and go home or continue on with the campaign and challenge a now incumbent Republican governor. Because, while Ramsey may be on the fence about running for governor, once he is governor, he doesn't have a choice. The day Bredesen leaves is the day Ramsey stars his campaign to keep that office. Might Haslam just drop out at that point? I suppose its possible but, like I said, the Howard Baker wing of the party doesn't tend to lose primaries and while Ron Ramsey is not exactly a fire-breathing movement conservative ideologue he is close enough. A Ramsey/Haslam primary with Ramsey as the incumbent would be the GOP primary to end all GOP primaries. Incumbents don't usually lose but then again neither do millionaires with experienced political machines behind them either. Haslam, who he is and what he represents, irks certain elements of the GOP. The new ideologues, the evangelicals, the gun nuts -- they all are very suspicious of him. But without a little something extra they are powerless to stop him. Ramsey in the race as an incumbent changes the game. With a Gov. Ramsey, the Right would have a credible candidate who could actually win a statewide primary. It would be an epic struggle and, were it to take place, the result would likely settle more than a few intramural conflicts in the GOP once and for all. Whether as member of either faction or as an observer, you have to be rooting for that.

Feb 17, 2009 5:37 PM

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